Cedar Creek Trails improved and expanded

New trails will be designed for multiple uses and the public is being asked to do its part in preventing damage to the resource within the Smokey Bear Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest

Sean Donaldson with Smokey Bear Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest talks about the improcements in the Cedar Creek trail system at one of the entry points.(Photo: Dianne Stallings/Ruidoso News)

A new trail system is being developed at Cedar Creek in the Lincoln National Forest, and officials with the Smokey Bear Ranger District hope the 10 miles of designed pathways are ready to premier at the beginning of the summer season.

"Bear with us during this construction time," Sean Donaldson, snow ranger/trails manager for the district, said,standing at the site of a future trailhead kiosk off Cedar Creek Drive. "It will be an amazing thing when finished, and I think the public is going to love it."

Donaldson's name probably sounds familiar. A homegrown forester, whose father served as Ruidoso village mayor for a term, the younger Donaldson spent 13 years as a hotshot fighting wildfires at different locations before switching to recreation and eventually moving back to Ruidoso.

"The trails are accessible now, but we are not finished," he said. "We do not take anything away from users until we have provided another avenue, so as we added a piece, we could reclaim a piece. It is the public's land and we want to do what's right for them. It's in a rough state of construction at the moment, but we hear from many people that they love it, because (the trails) open up new views and run in a totally different direction."

The old trails tended to veer up canyons following drainages or old horseback, hiking and dirt bike routes. The new trails are higher and one will be designated for downhill biking, he said.

"With the new trail system, we're talking sustainability," Donaldson said. "I'm trying to get to all the groups and talk about what that means and what resource damage is. With certain trails, we ran into things (such as) when they are wet or muddy and users still are using them. They leave foot, hoof or bike prints and they don't go away. When they dry, they are like concrete and hard to fix. We urge people to stay off trails when they are wet, and let them rest. It helps a lot. We've put a lot of time and money into these trails."

The agency wants to encourage the public to respect the trails and take ownership, he said.

"We want to educate the people who don't know about resource damage and trail etiquette about letting bigger groups of users by if you are by yourself, or if someone is on a horse that seems skittish, get off trail and let them by."

The work began about two years ago, he said. The project's success depended on the development of partnerships with other government entities and with private groups. The timing coincided with a new emphasis handed down from the Washington D.C. forest service headquarters to weave sustainability into the nation's forest trail systems.

"So we started looking at areas that were user created and not really sustainable," Donaldson said. "Cedar Creek was the main one. It was heavily used by the public, both local and out of town, but it was not being used to its potential, as we looked at it."

He pointed out that the success of the partnership approach recently evidenced at the Grindstone Trails. Members of Bicycle Ruidoso came up with the concept and the International Mountain Bicycle Association designed the trail, but the project was a collaboration involving the U.S. Forest Service, the village of Ruidoso, EcoServants and youth conservation corps participants.

They built 14 miles for about $160,000 and each partner contributed something from in-kind labor to grant money and lodgers tax money.

"Partnerships are the way of the future for the Forest Service," Donaldson said. "Without that, I don't think we can get things done. The public wants to be involved. It's their land, We are the stewards and we listen to public input. We're lucky to have this beautiful piece of property to manage for the people."

Money for the first trail work two years ago, about $20,000, came from the Resource Advisory Council, and the entire project probably will run about $200,000, he said. Some dollars come through the National Forest Foundation and the Ski Conservation Act.

"Ski Apache puts a certain amount per lift ticket into the fund and outside sources can put in for the money and do work on federal lands," Donaldson said. "Right now, we're taking out a lot of trails, doing reclamation work, reclaiming a lot of things that are erosion problems to the land. We will redo some stuff. adding mileage compared to what was here."

Many groups, paid and volunteer, are involved in the maintenance of the trails, including the Smokey Bear volunteer trail crew, EcoServants and an Arizona Conservation Corps crew. "It's hard work," he said

The project will create about 10 miles on the north side of Cedar Creek Drive in this phase of the work. A future phase will develop a sustainable trail on the south side between Cedar Creek and Perk Canyon, Donaldson said.

"A lot of the trails now were created by old fire lines and dirt bikes that were user created," he said. "If we make sustainable trails from Grindstone to Cedar Creek, we'll have a huge area for recreating and mountain biking. We're seeing more users coming in already with what we've done. The recent bike race at Grindstone had 250 participants and 75 percent from out of town. Those people will come back.

"It only helps the community with hotels, restaurants and small businesses. It helps the economy. You're not in the middle of nowhere but you can feel like you are. It just adds to what Ruidoso already offers: horse racing, hiking, the zip line, mountain biking. There is more for tourists and locals alike to do."

The new trails are designed to move away from the straight up and down drainages and water bars. They use out-slopes to clear off water off, leaving less of a footprint, creating better erosion control and making the trail easier to maintain, he said.

"We've reduced the previous footprint, taken out old jeep trails and side cuts out of the hills," he said. "We've reclaimed those areas and reseeded them."

The new trails also are smaller single track, purpose built for recreating.

Two beginner loops are part of the design. each about 1.5 miles, with connections to an intermediate trail that is four miles long and moves into the Alpine Village area, where village of Ruidoso workers are building a small trailhead.

"EcoServants also is putting in for money from the National Forest Foundation to build a one-way directional trail specifically for mountain biking," he said, slated for the final phase of work.

"As it sits now, the system is a little confusing," Donaldson said. "But it's not finished yet. It's not technically open, but we can't keep people off. We don't have the kiosks. but when we're finished, EcoServants and YCC crews will finish kiosks with maps, all in place at the trail heads."

The Smokey Bear Ranger District has volunteer groups and Donaldson said if anyone is interested in joining the project or future maintenance, stop at the district office's front desk at the intersection of Mechem Drive and Cedar Creek Drive and put their name down for future contact.